Parkour Runner Jason Paul Jumps Across Mumbai
Impressed by the hustle and bustle of Mumbai, German Parkour runner Jason Paul came to the city to experience a new adventure.
Parkour is the activity or sport of moving rapidly through an area, typically in an urban or city environment, over various obstacles like roofs, ladders, water tanks, etc by running, jumping, and climbing. Parkour is most commonly practised in European countries, including France, where it started from.
In today’s video we are featuring one such parkour runner, Jason Paul whose fascination for this sport is still as vibrant today as it was back in 2005 when he first caught the parkour-running bug.One day, his best friend came up to him and showed him a videotape of parkour running that changed Jason’s life forever.
From that day on, Jason started parkour running and he started seeing the world in a new light – rooftops suddenly became his roads and obstacles became his opportunities.
Impressed by the hustle and bustle of Mumbai, legendary German Parkour runner and Red Bull Athlete Jason Paul came to the city to experience a new adventure. The free runner had a variety of options to choose from in Mumbai. However, impressed by the work ethic & efficiency of the Mumbai Dabbawalas, Jason decided to pay his tribute to them and the city by creating a freestyle video in association with Red Bull India. However, this video shows a lot of elements which might fascinate you, but the skills of parkour runners are learnt over years of professional training and practice, and we request our viewers not to try anything such as it can lead to severe consequences. In the video, Jason Paul takes on the role of a tiffin delivery person carrying a lunchbox to be delivered his way through iconic locations in Mumbai like Gateway of India, Dhobi Ghaat, Churchgate Station, Dharavi rooftops, Sassoon Dock and more in between the traffic jams and challenges faced by the Dabbawalas.
On asking about what about Mumbai city fascinates him, Jason Paul said, “I visited Mumbai for the first time 10 year ago for work and was staying in Juhu then. I flew to Mumbai last year for a hunt to see the possible Locations for the shoot. He said things like the rickshaws that are unique to India also fascinate him. He said he was in Mumbai in April for 10-11 days for the final shoot. He loved the city. At first look, it seems chaotic and easy to get lost in. But when you spend some time here you realise there is a system, and because less space things are quite minimalistic. Every location is like a mini city in itself. They have a supermarket, a barber Shop, a pharmacy etc. The cool thing about Mumbai is that there are some places, like Ballard Pier, where you get these great big roads and European architecture. On the other hand, you have crowded areas, and buildings or structures which are not always at the proper angle.
About the Dabbawalas and spending time with them, Jason said, “I didn’t know about the Dabbawalas before this. It is very interesting that they deliver everything on time. In big cities, no one is ever on time, you’ll see people coming 30 minutes, one hour late. But they deliver everything on time, even though one lunch box gets passed from one person to another so many times. It is also amazing to me that this legacy of dabbawala has passed on from one generation to the next. Now, the Legendary German parkour runner Jason Paul is spending his time travelling the world, turning cities into playgrounds. What do you think about this? Do mention your thoughts in the comment section below.
